


The Spare

by Aibhilin



Series: The Women of One Piece [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Sally just took over the reigns and didn't give them back once she had them, drabble-like, flashfic, whoops?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aibhilin/pseuds/Aibhilin
Summary: Her brother was to be king one day, people said.What people said about her, however, was less generous: she was to be the spare, the one that probably, hopefully, wouldn’t be needed, but it was always better to have one in reserve, ne?Flashfic.
Relationships: Sally Isntoinette/Stelly Outlook, Sally Nantokanette & Sabo, Sally/Stelly, Sarie Nantokanette & Sabo, Sarie Nantokanette/Stelly Outlook
Series: The Women of One Piece [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726342
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16
Collections: Women! Wanted Zine: Flash Fics





	The Spare

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the prompt challenge from the Woman!WantedZine discord.  
> The prompt for this was: "Smile", in less than 450 words.
> 
> I hope I've done it justice?

She’d been born into a wealthy family, with wealthy parents who, coincidentally, were the rulers of a wealthy nation.

Her brother was to be king one day, people said.

What people said about her, however, was less generous: she was to be the spare, the one that probably, hopefully, wouldn’t be needed, but it was always better to have one in reserve, ne?

From a young age, she’d learned to take what the people whispered – too loudly not to be heard by a young child’s ears, too carelessly uttered when they thought no one could hear them – and stuff it into the back of her mind, to be dealt with at a later date. Her role was to smile as the daughter of royalty, smile at the side of her brother, smile in the vicinity of her parents because that made for a good image in the people’s minds.

Later never came.

She was taught the history of her nation and her people alongside her brother, learned how to bow and how to exhibit good manners and the thousands of ways to differentiate between smiles. Soon, she learned to look underneath her various tutors’ expressions and see them for the scheming persons they were. Soon, she could smile and move on, learned the diplomacy hidden behind the constant keeping up of facial masks and was taken along to learn how to handle stately affairs.

At seven years old, she possessed an importance and value unmatched by others and was to be promised as a fiancée to someone worthy of her parents’ regard. More than one noble family clamoured for an audience, but most were rejected at first glance.

Her meeting with what-was-not-any-longer-the-only-son of the Outlook family proved fruitful, all things considered. They’d made some small talk, and he looked the part, at least. Sally wasn’t sure what to make of the rumours she’d heard about his “excursions”, but she played her role perfectly, to the great satisfaction of her parents.

The Outlooks stayed in contact throughout the years that followed, and, despite them apparently grieving the loss of their firstborn son, they offered up their second as a replacement soon enough.

Stelly was… an interesting character.

The “replacement”.

The “spare”.

She could relate.

And then her parents and her brother died at sea – taking two different vessels to head out proved futile when nature interfered in the route – and all of a sudden she wasn’t the spare any more.

Meeting Stelly again at their wedding proved just how much of a pawn the two of them were in the hands of the royal counsellors.

But Sally could count on him relating to her, too.

And she smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> "And then little Ace walked in and crashed the party." - I've ACTUALLY been writing with that sentence in mind, but somehow the characters ran away with the words... *shrugs* ah, well.
> 
> I've had a super-productive twelve days behind me, including this fic: 30k words in that time alone... am gonna take a bit of a break until the mood to write hits me again, methinks XD
> 
> Please leave a comment if you're in the mood to~


End file.
